The Foreigners Law comes into effect from this Thursday (23) in Portugal. The measure limits the regularization of tourists, imposes stricter rules for family reunions and visas, and could change access to Portuguese citizenship.
Under the new Law, Brazilians, who are the largest foreign community in the country with around 500 thousand people, must be directly affected. They will no longer be able to enter Portugal as tourists and then try to regularize their stay in the country. Immigrants will only be able to request family reunion after two years of legal residence.
The law provides exceptions for cases such as minor children, people with disabilities, dependents and couples with children together, who may request immediate reunification. In the case of couples without children, but in a stable union, the waiting time to request reunification is 15 months, but to do so, the couple will need to prove that they lived together for at least 18 months, before entering Portugal.
